Growing pains with no asprin
by Titanic-fanatic
Summary: SEQUEL TO HOLIDAY AWAY! - Troy has just proposed to Gabriella in school in front of the whole class and she said yes is where we left off. Love, lies, parents and peers. A few teen problems thrown in?…just what they need..


**Growing Pains with no asprin**

**Author's note : Just wanted to thank everyone for the reviews and reading 'Holiday Away', it was literally months of writing but it you guys kept me going! I was reading the last reviews I had and you were asking for sequels and prequels soooo, having not written for ages I thought I'd give it a shot, one shot. Enjoy! This one's for you, **

**Titanic-Fanatic xxx**

**Chapter 1 - The moment after time stood still**

The whole world froze. Nothing moved. Nobody breathed. The air was still and even the sound of the clock was drowned by the silence. Everyone was in a state of shock, well, perhaps not two people…okay maybe one.

Suddenly the school bell rung, causing what seemed to be the play button for the classroom being pressed firmly down as the one person who was not in shock smiled widely, jumping up from the ground and picking up the one person who was in the most shock and twirling her round and round in his tender embrace and no, it wasn't Mrs Darbus Troy was embracing.

"Oh my GOD!" Sharpay squealed, a wide grin stretching from check to rosy cheek "CLAP YOU IDIOTS!" she ordered standing tall over the rest of her classmates in her new, onyx, Prada heels.

As suddenly as the bell had rung the students clapped, cheering happily to one another as they bustled out of the room, chairs scratching against the white linoleum floors, jaws jostling up and down already spreading the news.

Troy Bolton had proposed to Gabriella Montez.

"I love you so much" Troy whispered into Gabriella's ear, his breath tickling her skin tenderly.

"I love you too" she giggled, not really sure what had just happened but had already come to the conclusion that she could ask the many witnesses every detail later. Drifting her hazel eyes upwards, Gabriella met that beautiful blue and lost all concept of everything else that was happening around her.

"I just want to say. I LOVE YOU GUYS" Sharpay interrupted, embracing them both before teetering out of the classroom whilst the rest of the gang trailed behind, giving eyes "Toodles" she called back to the pair as she exited into the hall "O-M-F-G TIFFANY! I HAVE SOMETHING YOU WILL BE DYING TO HEAR" was the next thing everyone on campus heard ringing in their heads.

"And so it's begun" Troy chuckled, as his attention diverted to the door.

"Oh boy" Gabriella agreed, biting her bottom lip before gazing back up at her boyfriend.

"So do you want to put this ring on or?" Troy grinned, holding the ring between their faces. Gabriella nodded, beaming a white smile as the cold metal encased her slender finger to be met by Troy's warm lips.

"Ahem!"

The teens shot their heads to the front of the classroom with a start, sometimes they forgot that they were the only people in the room. As their youthful gazes flashed around, Mrs Darbus stepped down from the platform and pulled off her glasses cautiously, looking to the pair with a concern curdled stare.

"As much as I support the romanticism and appreciate the delicate flower that is young love when it blossoms before ones eyes, I can't help but feel a nagging sensation panging and plaguing the pessimist that lingers in my own soul as it does in all others who are, let's say, in tune with ones bohemian expressionistic form" she began, approaching the pair slowly.

"Mrs Darbus?" Troy questioned, raising an inquisitive eyebrow, his fingers now entwined with Gabriella's.

"Bolton, Montez … do you understand what you are letting yourself in for?" the teacher responded as though what she had just said was the most simple sentence to comprehend.

"Yes Mrs Darbus" Gabriella replied confidently, nodding her head to assure herself.

"Yes" Troy added, giving her hand a comforting squeeze.

"Although a courageous and doting gesture that I am sure will inspire many of the students, Troy I just don't think you two are ready for such a commitment" Mrs Darbus proceeded, furrowing her brow. There was no way they, as strong characters as they were, would be able to deal with such a thing as marriage, not at this age. She had known these children since they were ten years old and knew also that they had been friends even prior to this but even that could not divert them from the train wreck she knew they were heading head first into. Yes, some may have thought her to have a stone clad heart but Maurine Darbus had anything but. Within her aged complexion a teenage girl was still alive a kicking. Wrinkles and silvery grey hair may have many fooled as she brought on that stern pursing of the lips when a student had not done their work but with the contours of the face came years of experience, heartbreak and love, she could write books upon books on the subject, not to mention the hundreds of plays she could quote to back up her pearls of wisdom. In your heart you may want something to work so badly but the reality is that reality rarely lends itself to such things. Of course, no student knew all of this and the thoughts that danced through Maurine's head.

"Look Mrs Darbus this may not come as a surprise but I love Gabriella, always have, always will, and I think this is what is right for us" Troy continued.

"Hm. Well I know I won't be able to change your mind once you've set it Bolton so I wish you luck, the pair of you" Mrs Darbus proceeded, admiring the boy's clear enthusiasm and the loving glow that radiated from Gabriella's large adorning eyes "but maybe delving into the arts may offer a sign of things to come. Head over heels in love doesn't always have a happy ending" she concluded, pointing to a poster of Romeo and Juliet that hung loosely on the wall.

"Thanks Mrs Darbus" Gabriella smiled softly, taking the woman's words on with unbiased opinion, well as much as she could muster.

"You are welcome. Now I believe it is lunch, don't you have training with your…possie?" Mrs Darbus smiled openly.

"Team" Troy mumbled to have his hand squished a little too hard by Gabriella's "Yes I do, see ya" he spurted out, pulling his girlfriend out of the room and down the hall. Mrs Darbus stood quietly for a moment, shaking her head with a smirk before placing her glasses firmly on the crook of her powdered nose.

"Young love. How spontaneous" she dismissed, fetching her bag from the platform and exiting the classroom herself, flicking her velvet scarf briskly over her shoulder.

……………………………………………………………………………………………….......

"I gotta get to practise but I'll see you at lunch, okay?' Troy breathed, pecking a love struck Gabriella on the lips before she could utter a word and then proceeding to sprint down the bustling corridor. Her delayed response finally came as he disappeared out of sight.

"Troy?!" she called, standing on her tip toes. With that he reappeared with a grin.

"The gym is that way" Gabriella proceeded pointing in the completely opposite direction to where he was heading. It took the teen a moment before he assessed where he was standing, causing his girlfriend to giggle.

"Seems you've turned my world upside down" Troy smirked as he circled a pirouetting Gabriella and running out of sight.

The seventeen year old sighed happily, moving over to her locker and fiddling with the combination for a second, watching her fingers carefully until she abruptly dropped her hand and rested her back against the locker with the hugest smile anybody could muster with such a petite face. Her hazel eyes glancing up to the ceiling she shouted at nobody in particular "I AM ENGAGED!"

"No. You don't say" Taylor grinned, grabbing her by the hand and dragging her to the lunch hall "Now you have some explaining to do missy".

Meanwhile…

"Troy!" the team jeered as their captain jogged onto the court.

"Hey way to go man" Jason beamed, patting him on the back affectionately.

"Thanks?" Troy returned, contorting his face as he saw Chad giving a frown "What's up?"

"Nice of you to join us Troy" his father piped up, entering from the north entrance "Team spread I want to see some lay ups now, don't tell me that week away has burnt out your game!" with that he blew the whistle firmly, causing the group to disperse as speedily as it had swarmed around Troy.

"We need to talk" Chad warned, flicking his finger between himself and his best friend, walking backwards as he did so. Troy felt his heart sink a little as he nodded, a serious grimace swallowing his face as he clapped his hands together.

"WHAT TEAM?" the blue eyed boy yelled.

"WILDCATS" his peers called, beginning their practise with a squeal of rubber against polish oak.


End file.
